The Voices
by Breathtaking Chaos
Summary: They are there. They are always there. With Kali. They will never leave. Originally a One Shot. Continued with reader support. Rated T for severe mental illness and mentions of animal torture. Not Complete.
1. Zero Hour

They woke her up that morning. They filled her head with noise, screaming and shouting. They would not- "Shut up!" screamed a six year old Kali. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she shouted, voice hoarse and breaking. She pulled at her hair and scratched at her face. They would not be quiet. They were pounding in her head, threatening to crack her skull open.

That was the first time They visited.

After going to a psychiatrist, it was passed off as a nightmare gone wrong. Kali was brought home and coddled for a few days, before being allowed to return to school the next week. Eventually, everyone forgot.

Sometimes, when she was alone in her room, a few of Them would sneak into her mind, whisper things to her, tell her secrets no one knew. They never came like that first time, when They had hurt her and scared her. They warned to not to tell anyone about them. They promised never to come and attack her again. But come they did.

The second time was worse. This time, Kali was sitting at her desk in her second grade classroom. It was the second day for class and they were practicing cursive. It started as a trickle. More of a white noise. Eventually, it grew in volume, until it was a deafening waterfall of voices, screaming at her, telling her do do something, to get up and throw something.

Kali screamed back. It was a scream that struck fear into the heart of every eight year old in the room. The teacher ran over, to find Kali screaming at nothing, yelling "Shut up! Why can't you just leave me alone?! Go away! Shut up! Just Shut up!"

He grabbed a struggling Kali from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. All the students watched as their teacher forcefully dragged a normally quiet and docile girl from the room in a flurry of limbs.

Eventually, the screaming and the pain was too much, and she slumped in her teachers arms, losing herself in the dark, inviting abyss.

This time, they sent her to a clinic. That's what they called it. Everyday, she would sit with a nice man who treated her like she was five and gave her lollipops and said his name was Doctor Carson. He would ask her about Them, and she would tell him They were gone. That They had left, nary a whisper of them remaining. And it was true. Ever since that day in second grade, They had left her alone.

Her ninth birthday came and passed two weeks later. They began to return. By now Kali knew that if she ever wanted to leave this 'Clinic' - which was, in reality, a loony bin for kids - and lead a normal life, she couldn't tell anyone. Not even nice Doctor Carson. Especially not Doctor Carson.

Three weeks later, they let her leave. She could return home, return to her family. But they had had grown distant in the five weeks she had been gone. Her mother was pregnant again, and she was going to have a sibling soon. The affection her parents had held for her was dulled, just as hers was for them.

Nine months later, school was out, Kali had a little brother named Nico. All of her parent's attention was given to the infant, but she wasn't jealous. Left largely to herself, Kali was content to wander the town, where the rumors of the crazy girl ran wild. She never talked to anyone, preferring to just wander the streets of Little Whinging alone.

But she was harassed. Bullied, sometimes attacked. She usually had bruises when she came home. Her parents would ask, she would give an excuse about falling off the swing, tripping over the slide, not watching where she was going. They accepted these flimsy lies with absentminded nods and instructions to get some ice.

They were still there, and They whispered to her. They planned things, told her to perform vile and despicable acts. 'Kill that cat,' They whispered. 'Throw a stone, just so.' And they would show her how, teach her to cause pain and suffering. She never did what They told her to, but They still taught her.

They also taught her how to fight. How to protect herself. And she trained. Every day, she woke up before dawn and They taught her. How to kick. How to hit. How to hurt. And slowly, she found she didn't care that They told her to do horrible things. She liked Them, and they protected her.

She gave Them a name. She called them The Voices. And they were her only friends.

School was torment. The teachers handled her with rubber gloves, the kids ridiculed and teased her. The Voices were there for her. But sometimes, they would yell and shout, telling her to hurt theses people, to make them feel the pain she did. She had to hide it, hide the pounding behind her eyes as they screamed at her, as they hurt her.

They had promised not to hurt her again, but they broke that promise. Then they apologized, saying they couldn't help it. Eventually, Kali heard was the Voices all the time. They told her to hurt things, to kill things. The only time that would quiet was when they were teaching her to cause pain. Or when she caused pain.

If she threw stones at the cat, they quieted. If she crushed a bug, they congratulated her. But it wasn't enough. Kali had to fight the urge to kill the cat. To snap the neck of that squirrel. To hurt someone so the Voices would shut up. So they would tell her she had done a good job. They were the only ones who cared.

She was the smartest child in the school. They would say they were sorry for hurting her, apologized by telling her the answers to all the tests. They said they had to hurt her so they could help her. So she embraced the Voices. The day her Hogwarts letter came was the day she finally killed the cat.

**A/N: This is meant to be a one shot, but if enough people like it, I'll continue. I have a lot on my plate, and don't want to add more unless there are people reading it. Thanks for reading, I love reviews!**


	2. First Evening, First Day

**I was in a ruch to get this up,and didn't add the dedication the first time around. **

**This Chapter is Dedicated to maxie210, who got me inspired to write this chapter. I'my super busy, but for the readers who inspire me to keep writing, this one's for you!**

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Chapter I  
"Collins, Kali," called Professor McGonagall, the stern looking witch standing by the odd hat. She walked up, expression blank and stride confident. The hat fell over her eyes, and she heard a voice in her mind, over all of the other voices.

'Through all this chaos,' said the hat, 'I cannot find the house you were meant to be in. I need you to clear you head of the voices.'

'I would,' thought Kali. 'If I could.'

The hat seemed to ponder for a second. 'Well, since I don't know, what house do you think you belong in?'

'Put me in Hufflepuff. I won't be noticed there. I can do what I want without being bothered.'

'That very thought sets you apart from Hufflepuff's, and as such,' - "Slytherin!" it called out, and the Slytherin table clapped loudly, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joining in slightly less enthusiastically. The Gryffindor table stayed silent.

Kali removed the hat from her head and walked, head high and face stony, to the Slytherin table, taking an empty seat near the end.

Professor McGonagall continued with, "Crawley, Maria." The sorting proceeded in a similar fashion, but there was a big eruption of whispers when a boy named 'Potter, Harry," was sorted.

When the sorting was over and the eating commenced, Kali ate quietly, rebuffing any attempts at conversation. Eventually, everyone left her alone.

They were led into the cold, dark dungeons by the prefects, and Kali found that she already had people edging away from the hard look on her face. She didn't mind. She had her own company.

The female first years were pointed down a short hall, where they found a room with five beds. There were only four of them, and Kali chose to one near the very back. The other girls tried to start of conversation, but quickly silenced when they received no reply.

Kali drew her curtains around her four poster bed as soon as she had changed. Laying in bed, she fell asleep talking to her friends. Talking to Them.

They had Potions with the Gryffindors class first. Professor Snape swept into the room a towering pillar of black. Most of the class drew back in their seats, but Kali just watched the professor with an expressionless, almost bored face, and sat straight. They told her he wasn't worth being scared of. And he was not someone who appreciated fear, either.

After harassing 'Mister Potter'—whom Kali remembered had grown up near her, often staying at Mrs. Figgs house for a few hours at a time—, Professor Snape began the lesson. They were brewing a cure for boils. Kali followed the instructions blandly, a bored look engulfing her face. That was when a Professor Snape honed in.

"Miss Collins," he said, in a scathing voice. "Tell me, do you find this class boring?"

"No, sir," was Kali's blank reply.

"Then why, pray tell, are you behaving like this potion is the most uneventful thing in the world?"

"I'm not, sir."

"Then why is it turning green, instead of the teal it should be?" asked Professor Snape.

"Because, while speaking to you, I was unable to add the porcupine quills at the proper time."

"Correct," he said. "Since your potion is now useless, begin again."

"No need, sir," said Kali. She turned back to her potion and added one more porcupine quill than necessary, stirred once counter-clockwise after three stirs clockwise, and dropped in three scarab beetle eyes. The potion returned to it's necessary color, and Professor Snape swept away without another word. 'Thank you,' she thought, grateful They had told her what to do to fix her potion.

After classes that day, Kali disappeared into her four-poster bed, refusing to go to dinner. They were getting louder, and she couldn't get Them to be quiet. She hadn't done anything to please Them since she he'd left Little Whinging.

She barely slept that night, instead tossing and turning as she tried to block Them out. It was useless. Eventually, she fell asleep from exhaustion. But her sleep was far from restful.


	3. Two Bristles and Two Colors

**Maxie210- Nom Nom! Thanks for inspiring me! Hopefullt this will curl you over for a while. :P**

**TheAlabasterPhoenyx- The Voices will become clear, but not right away. Kali herself doesn't know what's going on. I'm still knot sure if she'll beat them or not, but hopefully she can get rid of them. o.o**

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Chapter 2  
They were in her dreams. All she saw was darkness. She felt an all consuming rage, burning her up inside. It tore at her mind and she felt as if her entire body was aflame. She thrashed and struggled, trying to get them out. She saw blood. She saw death and plagues, ways to kill that the most inventive minds could not even begin to imagine. She saw torture and horrors she could not and would not even speak of. Kali saw Them, in all Their glory.

And for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid. With the terror, with the screams and the destruction, she felt calm. They showed her theses things, and while They did, They quieted. They were happy, with the pain, with the suffering. And when They were happy, Kali was at peace. And it was then that she knew, that to quiet Them, to calm Them, she would have to destroy. To cause the pain They had taught her to cause, to kill like They showed her to kill.

That morning, it began.

She snuck into the library at dawn. Before Madame Pince arrived, she made her way into the Restricted section, where she found dark books. Books that no child should ever see. Spells with darkness in them, that tainted the soul and brought blackness into the heart. Most were too powerful for her to even begin to attempt, but she would learn.

From the public section of the library, she stole simpler spell books, two or three for each year. Piling them into her school bag, she was glad her parents had told her to buy an expanded bag, though it cost more. A few books on the History of Magic joined her collection before she was gone, a shadow creeping though the hallways.

She locked herself into her bed before her roommates awoke, drawing the curtains and stuffing them into the mattress so they wouldn't move. Pulling out her books one by one, she sorted them into piles. Then, without further ado, she dove into the History of Magic, both the ones from the main section and the darker ones she had found.

At least an hour passed, and she had made her way through the history books, the voiced quieting enough for her to read when they realized what she was doing. Then it was time to go to class. Hiding her newfound sources of knowledge under her mattress, she left for Potions.

Professor Snape ignored her that lesson, instead choosing to pick on Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and some know-it-all Hermione Granger who sat at the front of the classroom. Kali didn't understand what the big fuss was about he scar of Harry's forehead, and she didn't try to. She did, however, realize that Harry was famous, and she should avoid any association with him at all costs. There was a time and a place for being noticed, and this was not it.

Transfiguration was uneventful for her. Amidst trying to tune Them out, Kali almost missed when she managed to turn the assigned needle into a matchstick, earning five points for Slytheirn. In all honesty, They had done it for her, telling her how to flick and when to say the incantation.

Herbology passed in a blur of green and leaves, Care of Magical Creatures was equally boring. She never raised her hand to answer or ask a question, and no one really noticed her. That was perfectly fine.

She had smuggled food into her bag at lunch, and, while everyone was at dinner, she pulled it out, along with her books. This time, she read the spell books, the first year ones. She tried a few of the levitation and transfiguration spells, and was glad when she could levitate her pillow. After discovering that she could easily change the colors and shape, she practiced while levitating it. It took all of dinner and more, but by the time the other girls started coming into the room, she could easily levitate and transfigure a pillow, a hairbrush, and a book.

That night, she slept better. The voices were there with her, showing her all the pain she could cause. Showing her the suffering she could bring upon those who had hurt her. That night, she slept with a smile on her face. That night, she was happy. Or, as close to happy as she would ever be.

The next few weeks were filled with classes, smuggled dinners, practicing on her bed and being generally unsociable to anyone who tried to approach her. Soon, everyone knew that Kali was not to be spoken to, greeted, or acknowledged in any way if one wanted to avoid a hex. Luckily, word never got around to the teachers, and they never investigated the little first year who could perform third year hexes proficiently.

But meanwhile, They slowly grew in volume, to the point where Kali was desperate. To practicing and occasional hex did her no good anymore. So, when no one was around, she transfigured a small lizard out of a hairbrush and practiced her spells on it. Her sadistic pleasure did not come from the minuscule cries and the pitiful fight the lizard put up as it was tortured, but from the quieting of the voices. When she finally snapped it's tiny little neck, they were quiet.

Pansy Parkinson never wondered why her hairbrush was suddenly missing a few bristles. And she would have had no idea what to make of it if she had. That was how Kali worked. Because as long as she was not caught, she would be able to please Them and keep Them quiet. In days, the months, even the years to come, Kali would discover that They grew so powerful that the list of things she wouldn't do to please Them slowly shrunk to almost nothing.

There was no fighting Them. She would never win. She could never win.

Kali should have known that the silence wouldn't last. That They would return and someone would find out. It was only a matter of time before the moment came when someone figured it out. And for Kali, that moment came all to soon.

Luna Lovegood was wandering along the halls when she saw a girl with a black cloud surrounding her. Her life points flared through the cloud, but there was a dark aura on her first point. She decided to follow.

Every creature had seven life points. A life force connected each of them. Witches and Wizards had bright blue magic coursing through them. Metamorphagi had and ever changing rainbow of colors. Werewolves had shimmering moon energy flowing from point to point. Giants had green rivers of earth magic reaching through their bodies. Centaurs had the galaxy, black speckled with stars. Muggles had pure white energy. This was where Muggleborns came from. They were muggle children born with blue energy. Luna could see this energy.

But what she saw on this girl, she had never seen before. Her life points were bright blue. She should have had pure blue witch energy connecting the points. But instead, swirling in the blue was black. The deepest, darkest black Luna had ever seen. And her main life point, the one at the crown of her skull, was a mix of blue and black, each fighting for dominance.

When the girl disappeared down a small passage, Luna followed. As soon as they were out of sight of the main hallway, the girl turned. Her wand was drawn and her expression stony.

"You should know enough to leave me alone," she threatened. "The things I could do..." she trailed off, a predatory smile in her face. Luna saw the black darken and intensify, almost drowning the blue.

Luna was scared, but she kept her composure. "But you won't. Because there's still blue in you."

The girl looked her like she was crazy. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, nostrils flaring.

"Yes you do. Just not yet. But I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Luna Lovegood," said Luna dreamily. "And I'm not afraid of you."

"I am Kali Collins, Luna Lovegood. And you should be very afraid," said Kali. Casting a shadow spell, which wasn't even taught until sixth year, she disappeared. When the spell faded, she was no where to be seen.

But Luna Lovegood was not someone who gave up.

**A/N: I know, I know, I should have been writing my other stories. I'm sorry! I just had a burst of imangination. I promise I'll have a new chapter for 'Trapped In These Towers' by the end of the week, and one for 'E-ASD' in two. Please review, it maked me happy!**

**Dig It? Let me know!**


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